Leverage

Remember the days of dramas like The A-Team, Hardcastle & McCormick, and Scarecrow & Mrs. King? I didn’t think so. In a sea of Law & Orders, Grey’s Anatomys, and CSIs, networks abandoned simple escapism fare for the procedural drama.  Aside from the occasional hybrid like Las Vegas, if you wanted to find a good old-fashioned action drama, you’d have to tune into TVLand or look to syndication with shows like Baywatch and Mutant X.

Now reviving the form, TNT has taken a stab with a surprising entry, Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton as Nathan Ford, a former insurance investigator and once-loyal corporate employee who recovered millions of dollars in stolen goods for his employer.  After the employer denied his son’s insurance claims and allowed the boy to die, Ford walks away only to be hired by an aeronautics executive out to recover stolen designs by his rival.  To help him, he puts together a team of crackerjack scam artists made up of an expert thief, a grifter, retrieval expert, and master computer hacker.

A cross between The Equalizer, Mission Impossible, and Sneakers, Hutton finds himself a comfortable role in this lighthearted action drama.  The show works best when it doesn’t take itself too seriously.  The death of Ford’s son is meant to provide adequate drive for the character, but it goes too far.  Watching the flashback of Hutton staring at his dying son was jarring — considering the show’s tone — and ultimately unnecessary for the series.

That said, Hutton delivers what’s given him, and the camaraderie between his co-stars is evident, particularly with grifter Sophie Devereaux, played by Gina Bellman.  The writers would be wise to explore their relationship a little deeper, especially considering the character’s dicey past.  Who better to teach Ford to learn to love again than a woman whose job is to fake it?

Hopefully, future episodes of Leverage will continue to deliver the high octane thrills and tongue-in-cheek comedy it will need to survive the competition.  But considering the show is executive-produced by Dean Devlin of Independence Day and situation comedy writers John Rogers (Cosby) and Chris Downey (King of Queens), Leverage clearly stands a fighting chance.

Premiering this Sunday, December 7th at 10:00 p.m. on TNT, regular episodes start airing Tuesdays at 10:00 p.m.